Door latch



Jan. 21, 1930.. w. MARSHALL ET AL 1,744,077

noon LATCH Filed July 19. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 cg'gj 4 g/ A TTORNEYJ.

W. MARSHALL ET AL DOOR LATCH Jan. 21, 1930.

Filed July 19. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W M I lam an; a Edward 6. wsm'a A TTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 21, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT orricn WILLIAM MARSHALL AND EDGARD C. DE,

SIVIET, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS OF MICHIGAN DOOR LATCH Application filed July 19, 1926.

This invention relates generally to fasteners or latches designed particularly for use with vehicle doors and consists in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view through a door with our fastening means applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the in ier latch assembly with the cover plate removed;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the inner latch assembly with the operating lever in its forward position;

Figure 4 is an edge elevation of the inner latch assembly;

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the safety plunger;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the outer latch assembly;

Figure 7 is a View similar to Figure 6 but showing the member id in retracted position;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional View through the outer latch assembly;

Figure 9 is a detail perspective view of the locking slide.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a door preferably of a vehicle body, having a pillar 2 that is connected at its inner and outer edges to suitable sheet metal panels 3 and 4 respectively, and which supports a channel-shaped strip 5, constituting a runway for a vertically movable glass window panel 6. As shown, the pillar 2 is preferably constructed of sheet metal and is substantially Z-shaped in cross section, while the strip 5 is also constructed of sheet metal and holds a suitable channel-shaped felt guide 7 for the window panel.

With such an arrangement of parts, wherein the pillar 2 has a very small cross section, the occupants of the vehicle will have an increased vision and a wider glass panel may be employed than that used in the ordinary type of door constructions. However, it is 1190/5831) to provide a particular type of latch mechanism for use with such a door construction and, in the present instance, we provide Serial No. 123,535.

an inner latch assembly designated at 8, which is mounted upon the panel 3, while an outside latch assembly 9 is mounted upon the outer panel 4. Both of these assemblies are connected to and operate a latching bolt 10 which preferably straddles the guideway for the vertically movable glass panel 6.

With particular reference to the inner latch assembly 8, there is provided a case plate 11 secured in any suitable manner to the inner panel 3. Pivotally mounted upon the case plate 11 as at 12 is an inside operating lever 13 provided with a lug 14 projecting laterally therefrom. This lug is provided with a bearing portion 15 and an enlarged head 16 which is adapted to extend through an elongated slot 17 provided in the linl: 18. As shown, the outer end portion of the link is pivotally connected to one end of the latching bolt, as at 19.

Pivotally mounted upon the upper portion of the case plate is a member 20 having an arm 21, the end portion of which rests in a transverse cutaway portion 22 of a safety plunger 23 slidably mounted upon the case plate 11 and overlying the operating lever 13, while a shoulder 24 projects rearwardly from the member 20 against which the lever 13 abuts when in its neutral position, as shown in Figure 2. Any suitable means, such as a struck-up projection 20, is provided upon the case plate 11 for preventing further backward movement of the arm 21.

For allowing movement of the lever in a rearward direction the plunger 28 is also cut away for a portion of its length, as at 24., and a cover plate designated at 25 is secured to the case plate, being provided at its upper end with a rounded portion 26 for guiding the plunger in its backward and forward movement. Secured to the cover plate is a spring arm 27 overlying the lever 13 and provided at its forward end with an inturned portion 28, which normally holds the lever in its neutral position and which is adapted to seat in a detent 29 provided in the lever to hold the same securely in its forward position, as shown in Fig. 8.

Secured to the case plate is a spring 30 haw ing one end resting against the lever 18 to hold it in its neutral position against the inturned portion :28 of the spring arm 27. The case plate is provided with a flange 31 having an opening therein through which the safety plunger projects, said plunger being provided with a coil )ring 32 surrounding an end portion thereo one end of which abuts against the flange 31 and the other end contacting with the arm 21 of the member 20 for holding the plunger in its retracted position.

As aforesaid, the latching bolt 10 straddles the guideway for the glass panel 6 and has one end thereof pivotally connected to the link 18, which in turn is pivotally mounted as at 33 upon the case plate 11. As shown, the latching bolt is substantially wedgeshaped having rearwardly extending arms 34 ant 35 which are adapted to engage a suitable striker plate 36, the end portion of the arm 35 being formed into a T-shaped portion 37.

Vhen it is desired to open the door from the inside of the vehicle, the lever 13 is moved in a rearward direction against the tension of the spring 30. This causes the movement of the link 18, which in turn actuates the latch ing bolt 10, retracting it from the striker plate 36.

The lever 13 also has the additional func tion of operating the safety plunger With the parts as shown in Figure 2 the lever is in its neutral position with the safety plunger being in its retracted position. To shoot the plunger into latching engagement, the lever is moved forwardly until the inturned portion 28 of the spring arm 27 engages the detent 29, which with the struck-up projection 20 prevents any further forward movement of the lever. As the lever is moved forwardly it engages the shoulder 24 of the member 20, moving the arm 21 in a forward direction and with it the plunger 23 against the tension of the coil spring 32, to the position shown in Figure 8.

To retract the safety plunger, the lever 13 is given a quick backward jerk, which dis engages the inturned portion 28 from the detent 29, allowing the lever together with the arm 21 and plunger 23 to move backwardly into the neutral position.

If for any reason the plunger 23 should become caught and does not return to its retracted position in the usual manner, the ar; rangement is such that the lever 13, if it is moved far enough in a rearward direction, will engage the rear shoulders H" of the cutaway portion 24 and will force the plunger back into its retracted position.

Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, in which the outer latch assembly 9 is shown, there is provided an outer case plate 38 secured to the outer panel 4 in any suitable manner and to which a cover plate 39 is spaced therefrom and secured thereto by means of suitable flanged portions 40. Located between and having its end portions journaled in suitable openings in the case plate and cover plate is a hub member 41 provided with a squared opening to receive the shank 42 of an outer handle 43.

Rigidly mounted upon the hub 41 and adapted to turn therewith in a rearward direction is a roll back 44 normally abutting against a struck-up projection 45 of the case plate and held against the same by means of a spring 46 suitably mounted upon the ease plate 38. Rigidly mounted upon the outer end portion of the roll back 44 is a lug 47 that is similar in construction to the aforesaid lug 14 of the inner lock assembly and which is detach ably connected to the rear end portion of a link 48, the forward portion thereof being connected to a T-shaped portion 37 of the latching bolt It will be apparent that by turning the handle 43 in a rearward direction, the roll back 44 together with the link 48 will be moved rearwardly, retracting the locking bolt 10.

For locking the handle 43 against rotary movement, we provide a slide 49, the upper portion of which is interposed bet veen the cover plate and roll back. This slide is provided at its upper end with an elongated opening 50 straddling the hub 41, while directly below the opening 50 is a struck-out portion 51 which is adapted to engage a projection 52 upon the lower end of the roll back when the slide is in its upper position. A spring 53 is secured to the inside portion of the slide and is adapted to move therewith. As shown, this spring is designed to enter a depressed portion 54 in the case plate when the struck-out portion 51 engages the projection 52 on the roll back.

Provided in the lower end of the slide is a transverse slot for receiving an eccentrically mounted stud 5(3 of a standard lock mechanism 57, said lock mechanism being enclosed in a suitable casing 58, which is secured in any suitable manner to the case plate 38. The lower edge of the slide 49 is provided with an inturned flange 59, which is slotted on either side thereof, as at 60, to en gage the edges of an opening provided in the case plate 38.

lVith the slide in its lower position, the roll back will be free to move in a rearward direction. However, when the stud 5(3 of the lock mechanism 57 is rotated, the slide will be moved into its upper position, whereupon the struck-out portion 51 will engage the pro-4 jection 52 of the roll back and prevent any rearward movement of the same.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided a novel lock construction, wherein the inside operating lever controls the operation of a safety plunger as well as that of the locking bolt, and that. when the safety plunger is in its locked position, it will be impossible to open the door from the outside. The additional provision of a slide for locking the roll back against movement doubly insures the vehicle from molestation by an unauthorized person.

While it is believed that from the foregoing description the nature and advantage of our invention will be readily apparent, we desire to have it understood that We do not limit ourselves to what is herein shown and described and that such changes may be resorted to when desired as fall within the scope of what is claimed.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a latch, the combination with a case plate, of a lever mounted upon said case plate, a latching bolt operated by said lever, a latching plunger slidably mounted on said case plate and operated by said lever, said latching plunger being provided with a cut away portion for allowing said lever to operate said latching bolt independently of said latching plunger.

2. In a latch, the combination with a case plate, of a latching plunger slidably mounted upon said case plate, a plunger actuating member pivotally mounted on said case plate, a lever mounted upon said case plate and adapted to engage said plunger actuating member for operating said latching plunger.

3. In a latch, the combination with a case plate, of a latching plunger slidably mounted upon said case plate, a lever on said case plate for operating said latching plunger, a cover plate having a portion for guiding said latching plunger, yieldable means secured to said cover plate and engageable wit-h said lever for retaining said lever and plunger in their operative latching positions.

i. In a latch, the combination with a movable latching bolt and a reciprocating latching plunger, of actuating means for said bolt including a pivoted lever, and an operative connection between said lever and plunger including a pivoted element disposed between portions of said lever and plunger.

5. In a latch, the combination with a reciprocating latching plunger provided with a cut away portion, of a lever movable in said cut away portion, actuating means for said plunger including a pivoted element disposed between portions of said lever and plunger, said lever being adapted to engage a shoulder of the cut away portion of said plunger for retracting the plunger to its inoperative position.

6. In a latch, the combination with a case plate, of a normally projected latching bolt pivotally mounted thereon, a normally retracted latching plunger slidably mounted on said case plate and movable in a plane parallel to that of said bolt, and a lever on said case plate for operating said bolt and plunger independently of each other.

7. In a latch, the combination with a case plate, of a latching bolt mounted thereon, a

latching plunger slidably mounted on said case plate, resilient means for normally retaining said plunger in inoperative position, a lever for actuating said bolt and for moving said plunger to operative position against the tension of said resilient means, and means on said case plate for retaining said plunger and lever in operative position.

8. In a latch, a case plate, a plunger slid ably mounted thereon, a lever on said case plate for actuating said plunger, resilient means for normall retaining said plunger in inoperative position, and means for yieldably engaging said lever and adapted to retain said plunger and lever in operative position against the tension of said resilient means.

9. In a latch, a case plate, a plunger slidably mounted thereon and provided with a cut away portion, a lever on said case plate, and an operative connection between said lever and plunger comprising an element pivotally mounted on said case plate and having its outer end engaging the cut away portion of said plunger, said element being provided with a shoulder for engaging said lever.

10. In a door latch assembly, the combination of a latch casing mounted upon the inner side of the door, a second latch casing mounted upon the outer side of the door, a latching bolt extending transversely of said latch casings, an operating lever mounted on said inner latch casing, a roll back mounted upon said outer latch casing, and links connecting said latching bolt respectively to said operating lever and rollback.

11. In a door iatch assembly, the combination of a latch casing mounted upon the inner side of the door, a second latch casing mounted upon the outer side of the door, a latching bolt extending transversely of said latch casings and provided with rearwardly extending arms, an operating lever mounted upon said inner latch casing, a roll back mounted upon said outer latch casing, and link members pivotally connecting the arms of said latching bolt to said operating lever and roll back.

12. In a door latch assembly, the combination of a latch casing mounted upon the inner side of the door, a second latch casing mounted upon the outer side of the door, a latching bolt extending transversely of said latch casings and provided with rearwardly extending arms, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon said inner latch casing, a roll back pivotally mounted upon said outer latch casing, said lever and roll back being provided with laterally projecting lugs, and links pivotally connecting the arms of said latching bolt to said lugs.

18. In a latch, the combination with a case plate, a cover plate mounted thereon, of a rollback having a hub journalled between said plates and having a projection at one end thereof, a plate reciprocably mounted on said case plate and having an elongated opening at one end receiving said hub, said plate being provided with a struck out portion intermediate its ends for engaging the projection on said roll back for rendering the same II lOpOI'iltlVG.

14. In a latch, the combination with a case plate, a latching bolt pivotally mounted thereon and a lever on said case plate for operating said bolt, of an auxiliary latching plunger slidably mounted on said case plate and operable by said lever, said lever being adapted to retain said plunger in operative position while permitting movement of said bolt to and from operative latching position.

15. In a latch, the combination with a case plate, a latching bolt pivotally mounted there on and a lever on said ease late for operating said belt, of an auxiliary latching plunger slidably mounted on said case plate and operable by said lever, Jtltl lever being provided with a lateral projection, and a link pivotally connected to said bolt and being provided with a slot for receiving the lateral projection of said lever, whereby a movement of said bolt to and from operative position is permitted independently of the movement of said lever and plunger.

16. In a latch mechanism, a normally projected latch bolt, a normally retracted auxiliary bolt, and a common (ctuating means for said bolts.

17. In a latch mechanism, a normally projected latch belt, a normally retracted reciprocating auxiliary bolt, and actuating means for said bolts including a single member entirely separate and removed from but operatively connected to both of said bolts.

18. In a latch mechanism, a normally projected latch bolt, a normally retracted auxiliary bolt, and actuating means for said bolts including an upstanding member, a linkage connecting said member with said latch bolt, and a movable element disposed in the path of said upstanding member, adapted to be engaged thereby and having a portion engageable with said auxiliary bolt.

19. In a latch mechanism, a normally projected latch belt, a normally retracted auxiliary bolt, an actuating means for said bolts including a reciprocating part, a pivotally mounted part, and a common operator for said parts.

20. In a latch mechanism, a latch bolt, yieldable means normally holding said bolt in projected position, an auxiliary bolt, yieldable means normally holding said auxiliary bolt in retracted position, an actuating means for said bolt including a member operatively connected to both bolts, the connections between said bolts and member being such that said auxiliary bolt may be projected when said latch bolt is projected and ineependently thereof, and that said latch bolt may be retracted when said auxiliary bolt is retracted.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signatures.

IVILLIAM MARSHALL. EDGARD C. DE SMET. 

